Electric operation is spreading north along the Midland main line. The May 2021 timetable heralded a significant landmark – for the first time, electric services were introduced north of Bedford in the shape of East Midlands Railway’s Class 360s operating London to Corby services.
After a chequered history of electrification projects in recent years, the London to Corby (L2C) scheme has been widely lauded as a success. Although Covid forced a delay from the originally planned December 2020 timetable change, L2C met its May 2021 deadline and the electrification from Bedford to Kettering and Corby was delivered under budget. Gavin Crook, Network Rail’s Principal Programme Sponsor for the Midland main line upgrade, hails the success of the May 2021 timetable, which he attributes to good co-operation with EMR.
